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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · key · lie · bowl · bear · straw · rash · wax

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rash — hasty
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — in music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tube — a container
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rash — a series
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com